Smart Cities

dSpace expands radar test with automated validation and calibration

Mon, Apr 04, 2022

Automatic end of line (EoL) testing from dSpace includes automated validation and calibration of radar sensors. The latest dSpace automotive radar test systems (DARTS) was developed in co-operation with product development specialist, Noffz Technologies. 

The EoL test system is based on the compact antenna test range (CATR) method, which uses a parabolic reflector to generate a plane wavefront. This enables the calibration of sensors with a large far-field distance in a compact set-up which requires only a small footprint compared to conventional direct far-field test systems. 

In the low-reflection absorber chamber, the radar sensor is calibrated with the support of the integrated radar target simulator. This is done in a pre-defined test sequence, during which the radar sensors are rotated around their radiation centre in both the horizontal and vertical directions. 

The test system is suitable for the calibration of modern radar sensors, such as 4D radars and imaging radars.

The small system allows manufacturers to validate and calibrate sensors during production, explained Dr Andreas Himmler, senior product manager for automotive radar solutions at dSpace. 

The company will be presenting the EoL test bench at European Microwave Week (stand 115), at the ExCel Centre, London, UK from 04 to 06 April 2022.

dSpace provides simulation and validation solutions worldwide for developing networked, autonomous and electrically powered vehicles. The company’s products are used by automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to test the software and hardware components in new vehicles before a new model is allowed on the road. As well as vehicle development, engineers use dSpace expertise for aerospace and industrial automation for simulation and validation to engineering and consulting services, training and support. 

dSpace is headquartered in Paderborn, Germany, has three project centres in Germany and serves customers through regional dSpace companies in the USA, the UK, France, Japan, China, Croatia, and South Korea.

http://www.dspace.de

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Sensor tags detect temperature, moisture and liquid volume 

Fri, Apr 01, 2022

For use in a range of healthcare, industrial and IT applications, the Sense passive range of RFID devices by Omni-ID, are temperature, moisture sensing and liquid volume measurement devices that incorporate the Axzon Magnus M3D chip.

The Sense range consists of ceramic tags and printable on-metal and off-metal self-adhesive labels which can read live temperatures as low as -70 degrees C and up to +125 degrees C. They indicate the presence of moisture and measure the volume of liquids in containers. They are battery-less so do not require maintenance and are therefore suitable for monitoring the condition of assets in transit and storage.

They serve a broad range of use cases including monitoring the volume of liquids in glass vials for vaccine management systems, monitoring the temperature of machine components to enable predictive maintenance, cold chain management of foods and pharmaceuticals and monitoring the moisture levels and live temperature monitoring of servers in data centres.

The wireless devices accurately measure temperature to a tolerance of 0.5°C and offer read ranges between 1.75m and 5m, making them ideal for use in hazardous industrial environments where thermocouples would traditionally be used to monitor the current temperature of assets.

The tiny ceramic tags measure 15 x 15mm to monitor the condition of assets where space is limited, while on-metal and off-metal labels are designed to attach to assets with flatter surfaces.

The Omni-ID Sense passive range is made up of the Sense FIT 500, the Sense IQ 550P, the Sense IQ 175, the Sense IQ430 and the Sense IQ 200P.

The Sense FIT 500 is a small form ceramic tag for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range of up to 5. The Sense IQ 550P is a global frequency, printable off-metal label for sensing temperature, moisture and liquid fill level with a read range of up to 5.8m. The Sense IQ 175 is a US and EU dual frequency printable on-metal label for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range of up to 1.75m. The Sense IQ 430 is a dual frequency (US and EU) printable on-metal label designed for sensing temperature and moisture with a read range up to 4.3m and the Sense IQ 200P is an off-metal circular label for sensing temperature and moisture on non-metallic assets with a read range of up to 2m.

The Sense passive tags join the SenseIoT range of active tags which provide high-powered, long-range tracking and sensing via Bluetooth, LoRa, Quuppa and GPS.

http://www.omni-id.com

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Nowi unveil energy harvesting PMIC with a cold start feature

Fri, Apr 01, 2022

Dutch semiconductor company, Nowi, extends its energy harvesting and power management portfolio with the Diatom chipset. The 4.0 x 4.0mm Diatom (NH16D3045) is an energy harvesting PMIC, which has a wide power input range from micro W to mW and a fast MPPT (maximum power point tracking) for efficient energy harvesting.

It is designed to extract the power output of a wide range of energy harvesters to charge a variety of energy storage elements such as rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. 

The cold start feature enables batteryless applications, which helps companies reduce maintenance costs, as well as a more sustainable and easier to use option, the company said.

Diatom caters to the need for increased integration in order to lower implementation cost, size and complexity whilst improving performance, added Nowi. It combines integrated energy harvesting and power management into a single product and has regulated output, over-voltage protection and USB charging. 

Diatom enables power autonomy in a variety of low power applications, from the smart home to industry 4.0 and retail applications. It can be used in IoT devices, electronic shelf labels (ESLs), to smart wearables such as smart bands, glasses, and consumer electronics like remote controls, tags. 

According to Nowi, Diatom perpetually powers devices with clean ambient energy, simplifies the design process and lowers the threshold to develop energy autonomous products. 

Simon van der Jagt, CEO at Nowi, said that the inductorless design and integrated power management functionalities will contribute to reduced implementation cost and area  required, and make new designs possible.

Semiconductor company, Nowi was founded in 2016, based in Delft, the Netherlands. It ha regional offices in the US and in Shanghai. 

Nowi has developed energy harvesting power management ICs (PMICs) that combine harvesting performance with small assembly footprint and low bill of materials (BoM) cost. 

http://www.nowi-energy.com 

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RF power transistors extend 5G for urban deployment, says NXP

Thu, Mar 31, 2022

Discrete RF transistors by NXP Semiconductors enable smaller, lighter weight 5G radios to facilitate  deployment in urban and suburban areas. The 32T32R active antenna systems use proprietary GaN technology and join NXP’s discrete GaN power amplifiers for 64T64R radios, covering all cellular frequency bands from 2.3 to 4.0GHz. According to NXP, it now offers the largest RF GaN portfolio for massive multiple input, multiple output (massive MIMO) 5G radios.

Mobile network operators are adding 32T32R radios to increase massive MIMO coverage beyond dense urban areas. By combining 32 antennas instead of 64, coverage can be maintained more cost effectively, reasoned NXP, while maintaining the high-end 5G experience enabled by massive MIMO.

The latest RF power transistors deliver twice the power in the same package as NXP’s 64T64R devices, for a smaller and lighter overall 5G connectivity solution. The 32T32R devices are pin-compatible with the earlier generation of devices, for rapid scaling of 5G networks.

The GaN discrete devices are designed for 10W average power at the antenna, targeting 320W radio units, with up to 58 per cent of drain efficiency. The design includes driver and final-stage transistors as well as NXP’s RF GaN technology.

“As 5G deployments continue to expand globally, network operators need to extend their coverage while maintaining performance,” noted Jim Norling, vice president and general manager, High Power Solutions, Radio Power, NXP. “By offering twice the power in the same package size, NXP enables RF engineers to create base stations that are smaller, lighter and easier to deploy and conceal in urban and suburban areas.”

NXP offers a 5G portfolio from antenna to processor to accelerate 5G deployments for secure infrastructure, industrial, and automotive applications, including the Airfast RF power family and the Layerscape family of multi-core processors for wireless data links, fixed wireless access, and small cell devices.

http://www.nxp.com

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